I just had this surgery less than a week ago. I highly recommend a couple of cans of benzocaine; one brand is Americaine and it can be bought at drugstores or drugstore.com for about $5. I take it to work with me and spray myself down several times a day to numb the pain. Also comes in handy before bowel movements, but i noticed if i spray it on and don't wait for it to numb before going to the bathroom, it tends to burn instead. Best to use it at the first sign of an upcoming BM and not wait til you're grabbing a magazine and the air freshener.
The first BM was pretty bad, but i don't think it could be any worse than what you've already been experiencing. It hurts, it's over, you go on to do something else until the next one, which hurts a little less. The softer they are the less they hurt. I recommend Citrucel for this; tastes like candy and doesn't make you gassy. You can pick this up when buying the benzocaine and some magazines lol! Good luck. It'll suck briefly, then be worth it. I'd do it over again.
